What Your Food Craving Says About You

At times, we all have cravings, whether for something sweet or savoury.

Each craving tells us a little something about our body.

So what does your craving say about you?

Chocolate

There's no real substitute for chocolate. When you just crave "something sweet", a cookie, a candy bar or a doughnut will each suffice just as well. But when you crave chocolate, only chocolate will ever do. So why will only chocolate do?

• You're having a bad day: Chocolate is uniquely good at releasing our endorphins. It does this by stimulating the release of several neurotransmitters, including anti-depressant neurotransmitter Serotonin and "chocolate amphetamine" neurotransmitter "phenylethylamine". Phenylethylamine works like an amphetamine, changing blood pressure and blood glucose levels causing a change in alertness and elevating mood. This combination of neurotransmitters makes chocolate uniquely uplifting.
• You lack magnesium: Around 80% of people lack magnesium. Magnesium supports the immune system and nervous system. If you're routinely craving chocolate, try adding kale and other green leafy vegetables to your diet. You could also try snacking on Brazil nuts, cashews and pecans instead on chocolate: they'll increase your magnesium levels and are full of other nutrients like selenium, zinc and cholesterol-lowering plant sterols.

READ Sugar Addiction: How to Stop Sugar Cravings

Sweet Treats

Sweet cravings (for candies, cookies and so on) are the most commonly reported cravings. If this describes your cravings, there are several possible causes:

• You're pre-diabetic: Craving sugary foods is one of the first signs of diabetes. You should see a doctor if your sweet treat cravings are accompanied by increased thirst, increased urination, and/or blurred vision.
• You're depressed: Sweet foods, like cookies and ice-cream, activate the brain's reward centre, releasing the neurotransmitter Serotonin. That's why we turn to sweet foods when we feel depressed. If your sweet food cravings are frequent and accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, or sleeping more or less than usual, see your doctor.
• You're not eating enough carbs: A very low-carb diet causes sugar cravings because carbs are broken down into glucose, the body's fuel. When we don't eat enough carbs, our body doesn't have its fuel, thus we crave sugar, a quick source of glucose.
• Stress: When we're stressed, our body produces a lot of adrenalin. Excreting high levels of adrenalin leaves the body depleted and exhausted, leaving us craving sugar to quickly replace the lost energy. However, eating something sweet will only satiate you for a while. As long as you remain stressed, it will not take long for your body to return to its depleted state.

Carbs like bread and pasta

Some people's craving of choice isn't the sweet stuff, but thick crusts of bread and big bowls of pasta. If you crave carbs, this might be why:

• You're low in tryptophan: Tryptophan is the essential amino acid from which Serotonin is synthesised. Carbohydrates don't contain tryptophan, but it's believed that raising blood sugar levels a bit helps our brain utilise it. A lack of tryptophan leads to low serotonin, which leads to low mood, anxiety and bad sleep. While some carbs are important, before you pile your plate high with a mountain of carbs, you should note that regular exercise also increases Serotonin in the brain, so try going for a jog before you have that second helping of pasta.

More About Your Cravings

Crunchy Snacks

Crackers, crisps/chips, and pretzels. Sometimes, it feels good to crunch. If you get cravings for those "crunchy" snacks, these might be the reasons why:

• You're stressed: Grinding something in your jaws feels great when you're stressed. If you're getting a craving for something you can crunch, it might be a sign you're tense.
• You've been eating too many soft foods: Juice diets, soup cleanses, we eat a lot of soft food in our attempt to be healthy. One of the problems with this is that our jaws get bored. Our teeth were not designed to have a diet comprised of liquid soups, juices and yoghurt. After a few days, they crave some stimulation. That's when you'll start craving those crunchy treats.

Salt

Adding lots of table salt to your meal? Craving those potato chips, and salted peanuts? You're craving salt. But why?

• You're low in sodium: Sodium is not evil. We need it to control our blood pressure and regulate water in the body. Most of the time, we have enough in the normal foods that we eat. But sometimes, especially after diarrhoea, intense exercise, or drinking a lot of alcohol, our sodium levels can become depleted. If you crave something salty, try a little salted popcorn for a healthier alternative to potato chips.

Meat

You're walking through the town when you find yourself being drawn to the scent of a thick, juicy steak, wafting from the open door of a restaurant. Suddenly, you're salivating. You're craving meat. What's the cause?

• You could be low in iron or zinc: Due to health concerns, many of us have reduced the amount of red meat in our diets. As a result, more of us are suffering with iron and zinc deficiencies. Iron and zinc are both vital for the body. Iron helps transport oxygen in the blood and is vital for the immune system. Zinc also plays a vital role in the immune system; without it, we are more susceptible to infection. Without iron, we become fatigued (tired) and breathless. Zinc deficiency can cause skin problems, brittle nails, and diarrhoea. It's recommended that you have red meat at least once a week. Whole grains, beans, and dark leafy greens are additional sources for iron, while shellfish, lentils, cheese and wholemeal bread are good additional sources for zinc.

READ Food Cravings May Originate In Your Belly, Not Your Brain

Cheese

If you want to gorge on Gouda or chow-down on the Cheddar, there are a couple of possible reasons:

• You're low in Calcium or Vitamin D: Calcium and Vitamin D are essential nutrients for bone-building. Cheese is packed-full of both of these nutrients. Many women are avoiding cheese, because we fear saturated fat. This puts us at a hugely-increased risk of osteoporosis (fragile bones at risk of fracture) in our 40s and 50s. We really should be eating cheese. Not only is it vital for bone and tooth health, it's also essential for healthy nerves and muscles. So, if you get a craving to eat cheese, obey it wholeheartedly. Up to 30g a day. Some of the best cheeses, with regards to Calcium levels, for that portion size are: Parmesan (360mg Calcium), half-fat cheddar (256mg Calcium), and Swiss cheese (290mg Calcium).
• Your diet is too low in fat: When we follow a very low-fat diet for a long period of time, we eventually start to crave fat (which is an essential nutrient; necessary for brain development, cognitive functioning, and blood clotting). And cheese is possibly the most delicious form of fat around!

Sometimes, of course, our cravings are simply caused by self-denial. When we deny ourselves something, we want it even more. So make sure that no diet is ever so restrictive that there's no room for a tiny treat.

Just remember the old adage: a little of what you fancy does you good.